Morning all.
Twitter – a Stan Kroenke Out campaign has begun and I’m not at all surprised. I’d have been more surprised if it hadn’t. The fans protest ahead of last night’s Chelsea v Brighton fixture resulted in the West London club reversing their decision. Pep Guardiola was appalled with the idea of his team playing in a league where results don’t really matter and soon after, Man City followed Chelsea by withdrawing from the Super League.
Arsenal have since done the same, as have all English clubs. This is a massive victory for the fans and everyone in and outside of the game barring a handful of greedy club owners who saw this Super League as a way to make vast amounts of money.
That should be the end of it but it’s not, not really Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal fans have expressed their disgust at the American owners of our clubs. Ultimately, they’re not wanted. Personally, I don’t want Stan Kroenke at Arsenal. He’s shown his true colours to the world. No longer is this ‘I think’ he puts money before Arsenal, he has and it’s not right.
English football is a great competition at all levels. It’s about the underdog beating the favourite, relegation battles, promotion and a last day of the season special moments. Anfield 1989, the “Aguero” moment for Man City and Martin Tyler and Wigan being relegated yet winning the FA Cup and being in Europe the following year. The invincible season and the Utd treble. So many examples and special memories for many fans including Arsenal’s.
Stan Kroenke was willing to sacrifice all of that for a few extra dollars. So no, he’s not fit to be in control of our club.
A grovelling apology from the official club website reads:
The last few days have shown us yet again the depth of feeling our supporters around the world have for this great club and the game we love. We needed no reminding of this but the response from supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought.
It was never our intention to cause such distress, however when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future. As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologise for it.
We know it will take time to restore your faith in what we are trying to achieve here at Arsenal but let us be clear that the decision to be part of the Super League was driven by our desire to protect Arsenal, the club you love, and to support the game you love through greater solidarity and financial stability.
Stability is essential for the game to prosper and we will continue to strive to bring the security the game needs to move forward. The system needs to be fixed. We must work together to find solutions which protect the future of the game and harness the extraordinary power football has to get us on the edge of our seats.
Finally, we know this has been hugely unsettling at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year for us all.
Our aim is always to make the right decisions for this great football club, to protect it for the future and to take us forward. We didn’t make the right decision here, which we fully accept.
We have heard you.
The Arsenal Board
All I would add to that is had the Board, or rather the owners, had a proper relationship with the fans they would have known the upset and anger this Super League would cause. But clearly, they are so out of touch with the English game and the fans, they thought this was going to be a breeze. How wrong were they?
If I lived in London and there wasn’t a pandemic, I’d be at that 6pm protest on Friday evening.
See you in the comments.
Kroenke out..If I live in London, I would be at that protest on Friday evening, Pandemic or no Pandemic. Enough is enough .Our club is owned by a so called billionaire but we are always wallowing in penury, unable to buy the caliber of players we need and want. All he cares about is the money he can milk out of the Arsenal. .I repeat: Kroenke Out’
Morning Rico, it’s a beautiful sunny day, Spring has finally at last sprung after a dull and disappointing start to 2021.
It’s been a hectic last few days with emotions all over the place, but if you want to hurt Stan you hurt him in his pocket, it’s understandable that the fans will want to protest outside of the stadium and if I was nearby I’d probably go along to join in and enjoy the bonhomie of being among other Gooners, but that’ll be fleeting and then we’ll get back to worrying about results, players, the manager, transfers etc, it’s what we do.
There has to be a concerted, organised campaign to get rid of him, boycott the merchandise for a start, don’t spend any money in the shops, don’t buy a programme, don’t buy the food and drink in the stadium.
Print and distribute some anti Stan t shirts, buy Dial Square scarfs, it’ll help the new club and show solidarity among the fans, do things that’ll embarrass him at matches but keep it respectful and don’t act like an uneducated rabble.
Stan can’t deal with bad publicity as the We Care Do You campaign of a couple of years ago showed but it has to be consistent and determined.
Make him feel uncomfortable, make him feel that it’s not worth the stress.
But bear in mind what he did to the people and fans of St Louis and how he moved the Rams, he isn’t a billionaire because he’s a pussycat, he a tough, hard nosed, unrelenting capitalist who doesn’t give a shit what we think…
Finally, the elephant in the room is who would take Stan’s place and would it be worse, just think on that for a second?
Bye bye Stan.
I have a question ask.
What would fans have thought if this SL was announced a few days back and we were told Arsenal were invited and knocked it back?
I reckon some fans (impossible to say what percentage) would’ve complained that we were being left back in the dark ages.
I’d have actually gained a lot more respect for Stan if that were the case, but it’s a moot point.
Me too Rico!
Too far to travel but I be there in spirit.
The 51% fan ownership may have been possible until silent Stan shut down the fan share gig. I owned a few bits of one share it had accumulated £850 approx when I got paid off! The whole affair and shut down was exercised by the owners for the simple reason that he could do what he liked, when he liked and how he liked because he held all the shares. Even Usmanovcapitulated and sold up.
The Arsenal were left uncontrolled and not answerable to any ‘outside’ agency. And that is largely why we have just gone through these absurd machinations in the last few days.
The FA I think have a system that is set up to judge the worthiness and suitability of any prospective new owner, perhaps they should apply their criteria to some of the older ones! I think suspect that the Kronke franchise would fail the test. If they did and were found to be unfit to own AFC they should be sent packing back to their respective ranches to reflect on their stupidity and arrogance. Oh, and their ‘shares’ should be sequestered and then redistributed, on a limited basis to those who are willing to support and or run the club, up to a minimum of 51% a la the German model.
There has to be some sort of accountability for all football clubs, perhaps all sporting clubs that rely on public subscription to survive? And not syrup wearing rich boys who have no connection or real interest in their toy except of course the wonga it may bring them. How many syrups does one guy need?
I’m off to make my KRONKE OUT banner for friday’s event, albeit I shall only attend on line!
What a tattar 😡
Wavy, the German system is definitely best.
Morning Kev, all.
The big question which you quite rightly ask, who could buy him out? I read the guy in Africa is not a good man. True or not I don’t know but Arsenal don’t want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Perhaps, yes, that good old word, this will have given Kroenke the kick in the backside he needed. I won’t hold my breath though.
Wavy, I’m not sure whether the FA could reverse their original decision over the Kroenke’s being fit and proper but if they can, now is their chance. Liverpool and Utd want their owners out too.
Rico, I guess you are thinking of Dangote, the richest man in Nigeria, maybe the whole of Africa and someone who loves a bit of self promotion.
I’ll expect that he’ll soon go public again on what he plans to do when he buys Arsenal and how Stan will simply sell up as soon as he makes an offer. Yeah, right…
Now if I heard that some Middle Eastern consortium were in talks to buy Arsenal I’d be more enthused, but Stan will probably ask too much so sadly I think we’re stuck with him until he snuffs it…
I think this ‘idea’ of a super league has been on the cards for so long (Wenger 2009) and we cannot ignore the role that UEFA have played in all this… they are as greedy as all of the 12 clubs that were involved in this stupid idea, and the corruption that goes on within these ruling bodies of the sport we all love has got to at least be challenged. They act as though they have all the power, when in fact the clubs and the players have just as much, and something has to give. The football bubble has been inflating to bursting point for years and it is almost at that point. The so-called bigger clubs have been used by UEFA for years to line their own pockets and they all feel as though they should get more from UEFA for being the big draw for TV money, Sponsorships etc. Perez is not a nice person and has instigated this (in my opinion) to try and save Real Madrid’s arse, after they have fallen so far into debt on the back of this pandemic. A club as big as Real Madrid… a brand as well-known as ‘Real Madrid’ should not be £300m odd in debt… part of that is their own doing and being poorly run… but a big part of it is also the money that UEFA make from them that they see very little from, relatively speaking. Again, reforms in the game we love MUST happen and UEFA should acknowledge their part in this, rather than pointing their own greedy fingers at the clubs and the owners involved in this super league – just take the proposed new CL format… that is as big a joke as this super league itself and only done to make more money for UEFA. They are shocking changes being proposed and maybe the straw that broke the camels back in terms of looking at a breakaway league for UEFA’s big money-making clubs. However, the way that the clubs and owners have gone about it all is embarrassing and I, for one, am over the moon we have come to our senses and decided to have nothing to do with it… even though there is a part of me that feels perhaps it’s too late now and a degree of damage has already been done. The silver lining… maybe we will finally be able to get Kroenke to sell up on the back of this and get someone in who actually cares about Arsenal FC… although how green the grass is on the other side is the unknown! Anyone with the money to be able to afford to buy Arsenal will want a return… unless we stumble upon another Sheik in the Middle East who has more money than sense… not sure what is worse!!
Sorry.
KROENKE OUT
How rude of me to mis-spell his wretched name!
That’s him Kev. He’s all puff and smoke I think. If he was serious he wouldn’t talk about it.
I too think a Middle Eastern takeover would be more likely, exciting too I guess. But we’d still have the same problem with spending money right now. I guess there are many ways to invest in a club other than signing players.
Sadly though, I can’t see Kroenke budging. Not yet anyway.
Daniel, ‘someone else’ often seems better but most of these big owners have something to dislike about them. Like you, I’m not sure which is/are worse.
Hi Rico and all So when Kroenke said something special is going to happen last year or two ago did he mean the super league he’s way of getting us to play a couple of games in America now Stan and Josh have shown their true colours good luck with the protest
Hi Geoff, good question. How wrong was he though if that’s what he meant.
Well the talks about a super league have been around for a couple of years now , just this time it grew more legs and unfortunately if these different club owners stay then I can see them try again in 2 years time, However they will know next time what to expect from the fans, players and FIFA ect and how to beat their lawyers and not get suspended from the normal league they play in
Will they imminent announcement if Balogun signing make us all forget the past 72 hours?
This has been on the cards for some time and I wondered last night if our involvement in this get rich quick scheme had any bearing on our loans for Ceballos and Odegaard. Certainly it was in Perez’ interest to keep us on board but I think that relationship may well have soured now.
I still maintain that this is an opportunity for people to look at football and it’s governace in general , for far too long it has been a money grabbing entity living well beyond it’s means and riddled with all the corruption that comes with big money.
The list is endless but here in true BBC fashion are the highlights :-
* Sepp Blatter, Switzerland, 79
President of FIFA for more than 17 years, banned for eight years by the Ethics Committee he created to help clean up FIFA’s image when it found him guilty of a conflict of interest by paying European soccer boss Michel Platini 1.3 million pounds ($1.86 million) for work done a decade earlier. Ban reduced to six years on Wednesday.
* Michel Platini, France, 60
One of the greatest footballers of all time, he became president of UEFA in 2007. At one stage seemed destined to succeed Blatter as FIFA president, but the payment he received from FIFA also landed him with an eight-year ban, reduced to six on appeal.
* Jack Warner, Trinidad, 73
Warner’s role as president of CONCACAF, which organises soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, gave him enormous influence as a powerbroker for Blatter.
A former member of the FIFA Executive Committee and former CONCACAF president Warner was suspended by FIFA in 2011 and in 2015, charged with wire fraud, racketeering and money-laundering by the United States. FIFA last year banned him from all football-related activity for life.
* Chuck Blazer, United States, 70
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Blazer worked with Warner as CONCACAF’s general secretary and sat on the FIFA Executive Committee from 1996 to 2013, when he admitted to conspiring with other FIFA Executive Committee members to accept bribes in connection with World cup bids.
His cooperation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, by wearing recording equipment to meetings, led to the arrest of several FIFA officials in Zurich.
Pleaded guilty in a New York court to charges included racketeering, wire fraud, income tax evasion and money laundering, and last July FIFA banned him from all football-related activity for life.
* Mohamed Bin Hammam, Qatar, 66
The former president of the Asian Football Confederation was due to stand for the FIFA presidency against Blatter in 2011.
Shortly before the election, he was accused of attempting to bribe officials in a meeting in the Caribbean, and was suspended by FIFA.
Bin Hammam was banned for life from all football-related activity in December 2012.
* Ricardo Teixeira, Brazil, 68
A former son-in-law of long-time FIFA president Joao Havelange, Teixeira was president of the Brazilian national soccer association (CBF) from 1989 until 2012, when he stepped down, citing ill health. A Swiss prosecutor’s report alleged that, during his tenure on FIFA’s Executive Committee, he and his former father-in-law had taken more than $41 million in bribes in connection with the award of World Cup marketing rights.
* Franz Beckenbauer, Germany, 70
Beckenbauer ranks among the best players of all time, and is one of only two men to win the World Cup as player and coach.
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In June 2014, he was banned by FIFA for 90 days from football-related activity for refusing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption surrounding the votes. He was fined 7,000 Swiss francs and given a warning by the FIFA Ethics Committee last week.
* Jeffrey Webb, Cayman Islands, 51
Webb joined the FIFA Executive Committee after the December 2010 vote as the reforming head of CONCACAF, and was immediately seen as a possible future FIFA president.
He was quickly made head of FIFA’s Anti-Racism Task Force and seemed set for a distinguished career in soccer administration, but on May 27 he was arrested in Zurich on corruption charges.
He resigned as president of CONCACAF, was expelled from the FIFA Executive Committee and is awaiting trial in the United States.
* Jerome Valcke, France, 55
Valcke has been sacked twice by FIFA in less than 10 years.
In December 2006, a New York court ruled he had lied in his position as marketing director as FIFA sought to switch its commercial credit card partner Mastercard for Visa, with the court fining FIFA $60 million as a result.
Blatter fired Valcke, but six months later he was back as FIFA secretary general, a position he filled until last year.
Last month he was formally sacked again, banned by FIFA from all football-related activity for 12 years, and fined 100,000 Swiss francs.
* Joao Havelange, Brazil, 99
Havelange, who will be 100 in May, was accused in 1974 of bribing his way to power by buying votes to win that year’s FIFA presidential election.
Rumours surfaced throughout his 24-year reign which ended in 1998 and in 2013 he was forced to resign his position as Honorary FIFA President after the Ethics Committee ruled he had taken bribes over an eight-year period from the sports marketing agency ISL
And that’s before we look at all the brown envelopes and incentives given to players and their parents .
To paraphrase a Yorkshire saying :- Where there’s brass there’s muck and in FiFA and EUFA it comes in bucket loads , until this is eradicated football fans will still be the bottom of the food chain of benefits whilst suplying the funds for the rich and famous .
One of the reasons given for it’s inception was to reduce the number of games , EUFA’s new Champions League format increases them , another head on collision about to happen.
Incidentally the idea of Aliko Dangote is scary , how many of us will feel safe giving our bank details to a Nigerian potentate after all the warnings we have had.
I’d rather Dangote stayed away from Arsenal.
Rico, I reckon you’re in the massive majority.
Stan ain’t perfect, not even close and he’s shown his colours, but this guy is a loose cannon who I don’t want near the club.
Should silent Stan decide to sell up, which I think is highly unlikely, he should leave with the full knowledge that no one person or his / her associates can ever own more than 49% of the club. In the new model the fans must hold the remaining 51%.
It’s high time that the notion of one entity owning the whole shooting match is now at an end. If Johnson wants to stick his honeyed paw into the soccer pot, he might like to pass a new law that embraces this as a basic principle of all ownership of football ( sporting ) clubs. The basic principle need not stop with sporting franchises it could also apply to many other areas of our business world, a la John Lewis Partnership, for example. Bit political that, sorry.
If we are looking for a reset, then perhaps it would be a good place to start. And maybe, just maybe the profits, such as they are will be ploughed back into the business. Football business! If there is any cash left over then all the shareholders could be rewarded in the normal way. One share one small payment. 49% of shares 49% of payout. Seems fair to me!
But, as I stated at the outset, I just can’t see syrupy selling up, unless the value of his shareholding heads seriously south, and whilst we retain EPL membership that ain’t going to happen.
Questions have to be asked about who on the Arsenal board made the decision to join the European Super League. In almost any company or, corporation such a public relations disaster would result in the sacking of those responsible. Will Silent Stan throw Josh under the bus? Or will Josh pass the buck to CEO: Vinai Venkatesham? As the KSE corporation and with it Arsenal Football Club are incorporated in Delaware there is no obligation on them to make public the workings of the board. We will just have to wait and see who leaves to “spend more time with the family”.
I thought it was instructive that the statement published on the club website was signed simply “The Board”. So as no individual is named it must be taken as a collective decision. They should, therefor, collectively resign.
I could suffer Kroenke until this stunt Scott but I can’t see him going anywhere anytime soon. Frustrating as that is.
If The Mail is to be believed, Gazidis, which would have been during Wenger’s time, was behind the meeting of the so called big six.
Wavy, now the clubs have withdrawn, I suspect the government will do little to change ownership policies. Who knows though, perhaps he’s a secret Arsenal fan who wants Kroenke gone too. Where’s Corbyn when you need him. 😜
Agreed, Rico.
We can only hope.
It could be worse,we could be Southend United fans,now 99% certain to be in the National League.My dad first took me there in the 70s.I was there in 2006 when they knocked Man United out of the league Cup,Ronaldo and all.Probably soon to be playing in a local park somewhere.
That’s really sad Limey, I should really make the effort to visit Roots Hall when this pandemic is finally consigned to the dustbin.
I don’t like the way Arsenal statement read the board it leaves it open for people to guess who made this choice. yes I believe Kroenke would have been involved but did it stop with Stan and Josh or did it go down as far as Arteta, Some one from the board need to say who were involved in making that decision so innocent people at the club don’t get blamed.
Only three clubs remain in the ESL. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, three clubs with a combined debt of around €2.5 billion.
Arteta is not a board member Geoff.
The very
unsubstantiated rumours from the States is that our Stan was in the mix with J.P Morgan on this and was the instigator .
Would not surprise me.
Good afternoon Rico and all.
Our withdrawal from the ESL going against RM means only one thing….. forget about Odegaard and Ceballos next year.
But I am glad that this is finally over and we are not in ESL
DG, the ESL was the last throw of the dice for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, with the club running a debt of €1 billion they cannot afford to refuse reasonable offers for fringe players like Ceballos, Odegaard and others. Much as I like the look of Odegaard I think ESR is the better option and Ceballos is less likely to be a starter should retain him next season.
What money we have would be better spent elsewhere.
I agree Cicero. I prefer ESR over Odegaard all dsy
I’d rather the limited money we’re likely to have goes on another midfielder in the mould of Partey but I guess we’ll have to see how this season ends first.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-european-super-league-vinai-23954403
He should thank his lucky stars we have the players we have today. I would not dare to imagine if he had to face PV04, TA06, SC23, MP17, TH14, AC03 and the others of the same ilk. He would have been dead before he opens his mouth with their stares alone.
Evening Rico and the House
If i lived in L:ondon I would be there on Friday
Shouldn’t be Vinai addressing the players, not really.
Evening Rick.
Evening house. What a sour taste left in the mouth. Hard to believe Edu wasn’t informed or involved? Silence has been deafening
Really Andrew, Edu didn’t know? It gets worse…
I don’t know rico, just saying we have heard nothing and I’ve lost a lot of faith in many, and could they really have not said a word to Arteta who didn’t come out like Klopp and speak against it.
Oops must have misspelt. In moderation. iPhone or iPad never holds name any more.
Was thinking Edu was middle-man between board and Arteta, is he on the Board?
I had read:
‘Arsenal’s board, as currently structured, is made up of Stan and Josh Kroenke, Lewis and Lord Harris of Peckham’
Didn’t JP Morgan loan Kroenke the dough to build his stadium in Inglewood, LA…?
About a billion I heard, so the connection is there.
I am not sure if Arteta is on the board or not as his has gone from a senior coach to manager. but the way the club handled this whole matter is a disgrace and the way we already have the fans wanting Arteta out he will be blamed by them. the club should name who was involved so as I said The innocent people done cop it from the fans.
I not blaming Arteta but I wonder if this is part of the reason why some players are not trying this year as a quite way of protesting.
Geoff, no manager or player from any club knew about this from what I’ve seen.
Seems very, very few people in the world knew.
That’s why it was able to be kept so secretive.
Geoff Arsene Wenger was not a member of the board, nor was was the legendary Herbert Chapman, no manager or coach has ever been appointed to the Arsenal board of directors.
Now we can look forward to beating Everton on the weekend
Morning all.
New post up now
https://highbury-house.com/2021/04/22/time-to-move-on/